Black Bear Binges On Wyoming Beehive Business

Queen Bee Gardens typically produces 200,000 pounds of honey every year on their ranch outside of Lovell, Wyo. Unfortunately, there will be no honey this year after a black bear devoured all of their beehives.

The Zeller family have been beekeepers for generations. In 1976, they turned Grandma Bessie's recipe into a candy company. Over the years, their product line has expanded to include their signature "Pecan Pearls" honey pralines along with a variety of confections.

Queen Bee owner Ben Zeller told the Powell Tribune that this year's entire honey crop will be lost. He expects insurance to cover most of their losses, while the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will chip in for a portion of the damage.

The bear discovered the beehives foraging for food near the south entrance of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. According to the National Park Service, black bears in the area "have a tendency to be lazy, pursuing easy avenues of food acquisition." One of them certainly found a sweet honey pot at the Queen Bee Gardens.